FRANKENSTEIN Will Come to the Rose Theatre in Spring 2027

Rose Theatre has announced Frankenstein, a new adaptation written and directed by Jeff James after the classic novel by Mary Shelley.

The show is a co-production between Rose Theatre and Leeds Playhouse as part of Tom Wright's inaugural season as Artistic Director at Leeds Playhouse. For the Rose, Jeff James has previously directed Shooting Hedda Gabler by Nina Segal and his own adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion. Casting and full creative team to be announced.

The production will play at Rose Theatre in South West London Friday 16 April- Saturday 8 May 2027 (Press Performance: Wednesday 21 April 2027, 7.30pm) before moving to Leeds Playhouse Wednesday 12  - Saturday 29 May 2027.

Jeff James says: “Two years ago, Chris Haydon suggested that I might want to stage Frankenstein. Rereading it, I was struck by the fact that Mary Shelley didn't just write a novel, she created a myth. Her story has been adapted so many times, and in such different ways, that the story itself has become a kind of Frankenstein's monster. I am so thrilled to be bringing my version to life in two theatres with a special place in my heart: the Rose Theatre, where I had the best times making Persuasion and Shooting Hedda Gabler, and Leeds Playhouse, which was my local theatre when I was growing up. I can't wait for audiences to see what I've been cooking up in my own "workshop of filthy creation", and I hope their eyeballs will start from their sockets, just as Victor Frankenstein's were said to do in 1818.”

Christopher Haydon, Rose Theatre Artistic Director, says: “Jeff James has created two unique and compelling productions for the Rose stage. Persuasion was joyfulness distilled, Shooting Hedda Gabler was terror personified. He has a unique theatrical vision that is a perfect match for Frankenstein - a story that is so deeply embedded in our cultural DNA. It is a particular thrill to be producing this show in partnership with Leeds Playhouse - a theatre I have long admired and which now has a dynamic new leader in Tom Wright. I've no doubt that this production will give audiences in both London and Yorkshire just the jolt they are looking for!”

You are my creator, but I am your master. A scientist creates life in the laboratory and unleashes forces he cannot control. Nothing will ever be the same. It's the future. It's the past. It's right now.

Ever since its publication over two centuries ago, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has captivated readers. As science advances, it is a story that becomes ever more relevant. Frankenstein is a warning from the past about the perils of the future.